Sean Ross Sapp's WWE Raw Match Ratings, Analysis, Notes For 10/30/17

Stephanie McMahon is back, and scolds Kurt Angle for allowing last week to happen.

Stephanie threatens to fire Kurt Angle if Raw fails at Survivor Series, and names him captain. She leaves the arena after.

Why did the whole Raw roster need to be on the stage for that?

Miz shows up late, with a returning Bo Dallas! Kurt Angle is pissy about it and says Miz has to defend his title tonight against an unnamed opponent. I loved the stuff with the Miz. Angle was angry and reasonably took it out on the Miz.

We see a standard babyface vs. heel match, and the crowd is into it. They play this exceptionally well.

This is one of your best natural babyfaces against one of your best natural heels and it gets the crowd cooking

Matt Hardy hit a damn moonsault and almost won! Miz rolls to the apron after a Twist of Fate

Miz ends up hitting a Skull Crushing Finale and winning.

This was a fundamental clinic. Just some great pro wrestling.

Backstage Crappenings

Alexa Bliss pisses off Kurt Angle backstage in her sweet Chucky costume and gets put in a main event title match with Mickie James. There's a line where Bliss says they could dig up Mae Young and she'd be more useful than James.

Daniel Bryan is in Angle's office, and Angle goes off calling for reinforcements. Bryan says he has nothing to do with the Siege. Later Bryan is doing some TERRIBLE acting in a closet and isn't actually on the phone, but gets chokeslammed by Kane. I'll bet Daniel Bryan took that bump, even though they set it up for him not to.

Miz is running around backstage because he found garbage in his locker room. Kane, Sheamus and Cesaro all say he's on his own. Gold. Miz and The Miztourage are leaving, but Angle goes off and says

Asuka defeated Stacie Cullen

I don't think this is the way Stacie Cullen should have debuted on Raw. They should have had her squash Asuka to build her for the future.

This is a real bad ass kicking. I love a nice spinning back fist.

Asuka is gonna be just fine. Weird how the crowd got behind Asuka more in the Emma TLC match than this squash, eh?

Finn Balor defeated Cesaro (w/ Sheamus)6/10

WWE has a bad habit of making many babyfaces revolting by shoving shit in their viewers' face a la "ordinary man who does extraordinary things."

This is a really fun match. Balor has found his footing in the ring in WWE. Cesaro is a good opponent for almost anyone, though.

It's nice to see the outside-in suplex again, too.

You're not going to find many people who can take the kicks and stomps from Balor better than Cesaro.

Sheamus gets involved and Balor hits a tope con hil on The Bar, who take care of him really well.

Balor modifies the Coup De Grace and gets the W.

Kane Tombstones Balor on the stage. Well then.

Kane defeated Seth Rollins (w/ Dean Ambrose)4.75/10

The Shield come out and interrupt Kane.

This is really slow paced, and built to make Kane look strong.

Rollins hits a couple of clotheslines that don't budge Kane.

The Bar come out and beat up Ambrose. Rollins dives onto them, but gets caught with a chokeslam. Kane wins.

Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds on Kane, but Shield 0.66 get jumped.

This wasn't very good and was used to set Kane up to get killed off by Braun.

Personally I'd just rather have had Braun Strowman indiscriminately go through Balor and Rollins and Kane since that's the point anyway.